XU Shilang, structural engineering expert, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chair Professor at Zhejiang University. In 1982 and 1988, he obtained his Master's degree in Ocean Engineering and PhD degree in Structural Engineering from Dalian University of Technology. In 1990, he was jointly awarded the honorary title of "China's Outstanding Contribution Doctoral Degree Recipient" by the State Education Commission and the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. He was awarded the Humboldt Prize in Germany in 1992, the National Outstanding Youth Fund in 1996, and the Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor by the Ministry of Education in 2000. In 2021, he was elected as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Professor Xu engaged in long-term theoretical analysis of the integrity and safety of concrete structures and research on high-performance building constructions and materials. He has made significant contributions in the theoretical innovation, material invention, and engineering application of concrete structure safety issues. He has been listed as a highly cited scholar in China by Elsevier for 10 consecutive years since 2014. Professor Xu was awarded the second prize of the the State Natural Science Award, the second prize of the the State Technological Innovation Award, the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and four other first prizes of the provincial and ministerial natural awards and invention awards.